BCS Rankings: How We Would Seed an 8-Team Playoff

Though my reaction to such a question is the same that Nick Saban has in the picture above, it would surely give many fans what they have wanted for years.

Some have wanted a 16-team playoff though that is a bit too much in most "experts" eyes. In fact, I would not be against a plus-one which technically is a form of a playoff. 

However, if we did an eight-team playoff how in the world would we arrange it?

Everybody believes a conference winner deserves its shot, but the non-automatic qualifiers have no business being in such a playoff unless they were ranked highly.

So, if I put my Bill Hancock (BCS Executive Director) hat on, what should be the qualifications for an eight-team playoff?

Throw out Conference Winners as an Automatic Qualfication

I just mentioned it, but I would completely throw out the fact that winning your conference is the ultimate prize. 

I will not disagree it is vital for a season achievement, but I am not going to put a West Virginia or Wisconsin/Michigan State winner in my playoff.

First off, the whole purpose of rewarding a national champion is about having and allowing the best teams to play for it.

Assuming we have a typical season schedule, I want the eight best teams in an eight-team playoff, duh!

How to Rank My Top Eight

Regardless of who wins their conference, we should all want the top eight teams in the country to play for an eight-team playoff, so it comes down to how you rank these fortunate eight.

In a perfect world, I wish I could just rank these eight teams, since some of the voters have watched less for the entire season than we have watched in one weekend (so it seems at times). 

I would have no problem just selecting a committee exactly like the  NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament committee. It would be a simple process that would have its own separate criteria that I will continue to go over. 

However, we would just use the current BCS system with the top eight teams earning their right to play in the playoff.

SEC Bias May Exist, but We Just Want the Best

This isn't about the little guys or the big guys who rake in all the money. If we seriously want to think about a playoff, it won't necessarily resolve the issue that some people have with or against the non-automatic qualifiers.

If Arkansas is the third or fourth best team in the SEC, the Razorbacks are still deserving if you think they are among the top eight teams.

The SEC brings a valid point into this equation because of the SEC Championship Game. Georgia lost two games right out of the gates, but then won 10 straight before giving LSU all they could handle.

Does that reward Georgia a top eight bid? Well, they were only ranked 14th, though I do believe they were top eight-to-10 worthy heading into their tussle with the Tigers.

Many Bulldogs around the nation would despise such a playoff if they played toe-to-toe with arguably the most accomplished team in BCS history.

However, we should not hide the fact that the Bulldogs were torched by Kellen Moore in the opener and then suffered another heartbreaking loss to South Carolina. 

What to Do with Surging Teams Like Southern Cal or Georgia

Looking at the current AP Poll, the Trojans are tied for ninth with Boise State which would mean both are out if we were to use that poll. However, hopefully we use the BCS Rankings and just use more common with where to rank teams like Georgia, Arkansas and Boise State.

USC and Georgia have been known as two of the best teams in the country down the course of the season, and we (as voters of this eight-team playoff) need to decide whether a two-loss Arkansas or Oregon squad are worthy of being ranked (at least they currently are) in the top eight.

My Final Take

Enough with the waffling, we need to come up with the eight teams that will appear in this mock eight-team playoff bracket.

Everybody has their own opinion, so feel free to express your own. Being able to watch nearly every game imaginable (save Sun Belt, sorry) I rank my eight teams on who I feel are the best eight teams in the country (like I have stated).

Many may be asking how does one rank your eight best teams and is it different then the BCS or any of the other polls?

Similar to any of the polls or the BCS Rankings, I rank the top teams based off my judgment on what I see on the field, and certainly competition and style can persuade many voters. I simply just rank the top eight; you could argue you all you want about who is deserving, etc.

My Bracket

Without further ado, here is my eight-team playoff bracket with the seeds thrown in.

Note: I am not punishing USC since we are "supposedly attempting to put the best eight teams in."

No. 1 Seed, LSU Tigers

No. 2 Seed, Alabama Crimson Tide

No. 3 Seed, Oklahoma State Cowboys

No. 4 Seed, Stanford Cardinal

No. 5 Seed, Boise State Broncos

No. 6 Seed, USC Trojans 

No. 7 Seed, Oregon Ducks

No. 8 Seed, Arkansas Razorbacks

First Round Breakdown and Predictons

Note: All of these game would be played on neutral fields of bowl sites.

No. 1 Seed LSU Tigers vs. No. 8 Seed Arkansas Razorbacks 

Maybe, the Razorbacks do not deserve this eight seed but who else is more deserving? Arkansas smoked South Carolina and would arguably take care of any of the top three teams in the Big Ten. Give me Tyler Wilson and their explosive offense (except when they play Bama or LSU).

LSU 41, ARKANSAS 14

No. 4 Seed Stanford Cardinal vs. No. 5 Seed Boise State Broncos

This would be a great matchup between two superstar quarterbacks and two underrated defenses. Andrew Luck has found a way to get the job done with a bevy of injuries, but Boise State is too strong against the run and has proven to knock off the top competition before.

BOISE 38, STANFORD 35 

First Round Breakdown and Predictions

No. 3 Seed Oklahoma State Cowboys (Re-Seed if OU beats them) vs. No. 6 Seed USC Trojans 

I am ranking these teams before the season is even over, so feel free to re-rank these teams if the Sooners win for the eighth straight time.

However, any team outside of Alabama-LSU would not be able to slow down Matt Barkley and the potent Trojans offense. Marquis Lee, Robert Woods and the rest of the gang are simply unstoppable right now. USC has been proclaimed as the third best team at the moment by a few "experts" and they would sneak by an Oklahoma State team that has struggled to come away with defensive stands.

USC 45, OKLAHOMA STATE 35

No. 2 Seed Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 7 Seed Oregon Ducks

LaMichael James and the Ducks offense are tough to defend, but the best defense in the country arguably could slow them down just like LSU did.

Trent Richardson could find his way to paydirt at will in the second half against a tired Ducks defense in a matchup that would likely not turn into a shootout.

ALABAMA 34, OREGON 14

Second Round Breakdown and Predictions

No. 2 Seed Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 6 Seed USC Trojans

This would be a matchup many playoff fans would hopefully want right now or else they do not deserve any sort of a playoff. This is a dream matchup since USC is on fire right now, but they would run into a brick wall with Alabama's defense.

ALABAMA 28, USC 17

No. 1 Seed LSU Tigers vs No 5 Seed Boise State Broncos

Even if this game was played on the Smurf Turf, Kellen Moore and Chris Petersen wouldn't stand much of a match even if Titus Young and Austin Pettis came back. LSU would dominate that in the fourth quarter, and the special teams would make look ugly if this game were played a neutral field.

LSU 37, BOISE STATE 14

Championship Game and Final Thoughts

No. 1 Seed LSU Tigers vs. No. 2 Seed Alabama Crimson Tide

Wow, the top teams in the country made it all the way to the championship of my mock bracket. Of course this entire mock bracket is all about playing the what-if game since of course we will have no changes until at least the 2013- 2014 season.

However, in this rematch where should we play it? How about the Louisiana Superdome since that is exactly where the BCS National Championship Game will be played between these two teams.

LSU, of course, survived in regulation at Tuscaloosa, but there were four missed (blocked) kicks and the Bayou Bengals only prevailed in overtime. No disrespect to the Tigers, they are the most accomplished team we arguably have ever seen in the history of the BCS through 13 games.

I think Alabama's defense is a tad better, though their special teams is clearly worse. The ground games and line of scrimmage would clearly decide this matchup in my mock bracket results on top of the real BCS National Championship Game. So there you have it, as we can all make our very own bracket around the water cooler and discuss which playoff format should or should not be added in the near future. 

LSU 20, ALABAMA 17